


On the Edge, Meeting in the Middle

by chaostheoryy



Category: Mission: Impossible (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Canon, SPOILERS FOR FALLOUT, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-24 06:33:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15624801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaostheoryy/pseuds/chaostheoryy
Summary: Following the massive fight with Walker and the successful retrieval of the detonation key, Ethan wakes up to find Benji at his bedside. To his dismay, Ethan quickly realizes there’s something Benji isn’t telling him.





	On the Edge, Meeting in the Middle

_Ethan Hunt stands at the edge of the cliff, the detonator heavy in his hand. He can see everything from up here — the glacier, the trees, waterfalls and streams. It’s serene, unlike anything he’s ever witnessed before._

_But, as much as he wants to treasure the beauty of what lays in front of him, he can’t help but worry. For once in his life, he’s not fighting or running. There’s no terrorist organization to take down, no double agent to unmask. The world, it seems, has come to a standstill. Time is frozen in a single instance of tranquility. Everything is peaceful._

_“The greater the suffering, the greater the peace.”_

_Ethan looks to his left to discover Solomon Lane has taken his place beside him. Lane stares out over the valley, that contemplative look in his eyes. Ethan doesn’t speak._

_“The end you always feared...” Lane takes a long breath. His eye twitches ever so slightly. “So this is how you pictured it.”_

_Ethan furrows his brow. Lane, of course, seems to sense his confusion without even having to look him in the face. A blood-curdling smile rises from beneath his scraggly beard._

_“Your friend was right, Ethan,” Lane muses in that dark, oozing drawl, “One day, you’re going to take it too far.”_

_Ethan notices his counterpart’s attention shift to the detonator. He follows Lane’s gaze. Sure enough, he finds the detonator has been activated and his own thumb is the one holding the button down._

_The last thing Ethan Hunt sees before the valley is consumed by a bright, white light is the devilish smile of Solomon Lane_.

 

* * *

 

Ethan’s eyes shoot open as he jerks himself out of his dream and back to reality. His bare, bruised chest is heaving and all he can feel now aside from the sheer panic are his aching ribs and the throbbing pain in his head.

“Ethan, are you alright?”

He looks right and is surprised to find that he isn’t alone. Benji is sitting at his bedside, looking as concerned as ever. His eyes are droopier than normal, making it clear to Ethan that he too had just woken up.

“Benji?” Ethan blinks. “What are you doing here?”

Benji settles back down in the chair beside him. “Keeping you company,” the younger agent replies, “Figured I’d make myself useful and help you out if you needed anything throughout the night.”

It’s then that Ethan realizes the only light illuminating the medical tent is coming from a pair of lanterns hanging overhead. Outside there’s no sound but the distant rushing of waterfalls and an occasional cricket.

“I’m fine, Benji. I look much worse than I really am, I promise,” Ethan manages to lie with a small, reassuring smile. The last thing he wants is for Benji to be putting aside a good night’s sleep for him. “You should go get some rest.”

Benji waves him off. “Ah, no need to worry about that. Who needs a bed, when I’ve got a perfectly good chair?” 

Benji flashes Ethan one of those big, goofy grins of his but Ethan can see right through it. Something’s off. Benji’s left eyelid is drooping lower than the right and his nostrils are flaring every time he exhales. If it weren’t for the fact that he couldn’t see very well in the low light, Ethan would have been sure Benji is bearing a broken nose.

“How are you doing?”

Benji seems surprised by the question. “Me?”

Ethan nods. “You were almost killed in a nuclear explosion today. I think it’s safe to say you experienced some trauma.”

Benji swallows and Ethan notices it seems to be putting a strain on his companion. Benji doesn’t wince but Ethan knows he’s in pain.

“Well, I don’t have an IV in my arm so I suppose that puts me one step ahead of you.”

Another forced laugh from Benji and Ethan is desperate to know what’s wrong. The young agent he’s come to know so well has always been strong, even if Benji never admits it to himself. He’s like Ethan in a way, always putting others before him. But, unlike Ethan’s willingness to put himself in harm’s way, he can’t stand to see Benji suffer. There’s nothing he hates more.

“Actually, Benji, do you mind reaching up and fixing my IV bag? I think it’s got the tube wrapped around the stand.”

A ploy. And Benji falls right for it.

“Oh. Yeah. Of course,” Benji replies, immediately rising from his chair to lend a hand.

Benji leans over the bed to futz with the IV set up and gives Ethan the view he needs. Up close in the dim light, Ethan can see the damage Benji is trying to keep hidden. There’s cuts on his face and a bruise under his left eye that stretches to the bridge of his nose. Just as Ethan had suspected, Benji’s nose is broken and only recently was put back into place. He was in a fight. But with who?

Benji cranes his neck just a tad more and all of a sudden Ethan can see the real damage. There’s a line of contusions wrapping around his throat, purple and red in some places and a brutal yellow in others. The pattern of the bruising is far too familiar for a guy who’s spent many hours tied up to chairs in dark rooms.

Frowning, Ethan reaches up and gently slips his hand through the collar of Benji’s jacket. Benji flinches but doesn’t push him away. 

“Ethan...”

Benji swallows as Ethan’s fingertips make contact with his throat and he can feel Benji’s Adam’s apple bob beneath his touch. Very carefully and without placing any pressure on Benji’s throat, he traces the harsh line of bruises. The flesh is hot and raw, still burning with the intensity of a fresh injury.

Every inch of Ethan’s body burns with a mixture of rage and agony.

“Who did this to you?”

A look of guilt falls over Benji’s face. It’s clear he never wanted Ethan to discover his injury and Ethan is certain his companion is praying not to retell the reason for it.

“Lane,” Benji responds quietly, eyes flicking away from Ethan. It’s like Benji can’t bear to look him in the face as he tells him. “I lost contact with Ilsa while we were searching for the second device and when I went to look for her...” He trails off for a moment, the memories clearly rushing back into the forefront of his mind. “He was waiting for me.”

There’s a storm boiling inside Ethan’s chest. He wants to scream. He contemplates tearing the IV out of his arm and going after Lane with the fury of Hell. He doesn’t care if Sloane tries to stop him or if he has to knock a dozen CIA agents out of the way to get to him. He thirsts for revenge and nothing but the warmth of Lane’s blood on his knuckles will quench that thirst.

Benji closes his eyes and shakes his head in obvious frustration. “I should have expected it. I was too confident and I wasn’t thinking...” He lets out a frustrated breath. “I should have known better.”

Ethan’s heart aches. “Benji, I’m so sorry,” he whispers.

Benji ignores him and starts rambling on about his training and how prepared he should have been. Every word he utters, he throws himself further under the bus. He’s ashamed and angry with himself for letting things end up the way they did and the self-loathing Ethan so desperately wishes Benji would learn to let go comes back to consume him.

Ethan reaches up suddenly and rests his hand on Benji’s cheek. “Benji, look at me.”

With a shaky breath, Benji’s tirade of self-destruction fades and his focus shifts to Ethan.

“What happened to you is not your fault,” Ethan says quietly, “It’s not because of a lack of training or a foolish misstep. Your smart, Benji — probably the smartest guy I’ll ever know. And, I know you refuse to believe it, but trust me, you are one hell of a field agent.”

The faintest smile tugs at Benji’s lips in response to Ethan’s compliment.

A moment of silence falls over them as Ethan treasures the feeling of Benji’s skin beneath his hand. It’s the first time he’s ever caressed Benji like this, the first time he’s let his affection for the younger agent venture beyond words. But Benji is here and he’s alive and it’s as if Ethan needs to feel that fact.

“I should have been there,” Ethan finally whispers as he slowly drags his thumb across Benji’s cheek, “I should have protected you...”

Benji’s hand finds its way to Ethan’s wrist and wraps around it. Ethan’s heartbeat pulses beneath Benji’s fingertips — confirmation that he too is alive.

“You did what you had to, Ethan. And you know what? You saved me because of that. You saved us all because of that.” A small, playful smile tugs at the corner of Benji’s lips. “You just had to go and be the bloody hero again.”

“It’s kind of a habit now, I think,” Ethan replies, his own grin spreading across his face.

The two laugh softly before Ethan’s ribs serve him a cold reminder of their shattered state. His laughter fades into a low hiss and his hand slips from Benji’s face to clutch at the younger agent’s shoulder as he repositions himself in the bed. Benji immediately leans down to help, unhooking his IV from under Ethan’s arm.

“Alright, I think it’s time for you to go back to sleep,” Benji says softly as he tucks the blanket a little tighter around Ethan’s body.

Before Benji can sit back down in the tiny metal chair beside the bed, Ethan grabs him by the hand to hold him back. Benji blinks.

“I’m not letting you spend the night in that lousy excuse for a chair.”

“Well, I’m not leaving you here by yourself,” Benji responds quickly, “Who knows what kind of trouble you’ll manage to get into.”

Ethan cracks a tiny, suggestive smile. “I’m not asking you to leave, Benji.”

Benji’s brow furrows for a moment. Then, when realization settles in, his eyes widen ever so slightly. “Oh.” He clears his throat, his eyes scanning the bed. “Are you sure?”

“Consider it a compromise.”

Benji nods — more to himself, it seems, than to Ethan. “Right. Okay.”

Following Ethan’s lead, Benji very slowly and very carefully eases himself into the bed. At first, it’s an awkward game of human Tetris — both of them finagling their bodies to find a way to fit on the tiny mattress. It doesn’t take long, however, for them to discover their place. With Ethan’s head on Benji’s shoulder and their legs tangled together, they just manage to fit.

“Is this alright? I can move if I’m putting too much pressure on your ribs…”

Ethan shakes his head slightly and sighs in absolute content. “This is perfect.”

“‘Kay.”

A comfortable silence drapes over them as they take the time to process their newfound arrangement. It’s a tight fit, but neither of them complains. All that matters to Ethan is that Benji is alive and that he has him by his side. Benji, it seems, feels exactly the same way.

“Hey, Ethan?”

“Hm?”

“If you end up in another dream fight, can you try not to beat me up?”

Ethan lets out a soft huff of laughter. “I’ll do my best.”

“Thanks.” Ethan feels him nestle deeper into the mattress. “Goodnight, Ethan.”

Ethan smiles and lets his eyes close once again. “Goodnight, Benji.”

 

* * *

 

_Ethan Hunt stands at the edge of the cliff. He can see everything up here — the glacier, the trees, waterfalls and streams. It’s beautiful, like a scene straight out of a painting._

_“As much as I appreciate the tranquility of nature, I really don’t think this is an ideal place to be standing. Do you?”_

_Ethan looks to his left to find Benji standing at his side. A fond smile tugs at Ethan’s lips._

_“What’s the matter, Benji? Afraid of heights?”_

_“Afraid of them? No. But, if I’m being honest, I’m not particularly fond of them.”_

_“Then you’re probably not going to like what happens next.”_

_Benji throws him a worried glance. “You’re about to do something extremely stupid and unnecessarily dangerous aren’t you?”_

_“Yeah. But, if I’m being honest, it’s going to be pretty cool.”_

_Benji sighs and holds out his hand. “Well, don’t you dare think about leaving me behind.”_

_“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Ethan replies softly before grasping Benji’s hand in his._

_Together, they take one step forward._


End file.
